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Arthan
As the elven empire of Tel Myra spread across the globe, a human mage named Canev quickly rose through the ranks of the empire’s elite mages. Extraordinarily talented and intelligent, Canev secretly ascended to lichdom, creating 13 phylacteries to protect his soul. A powerful archmage and the last emperor of Tel Myra, Xanuvir, sought to ascend to godhood and guide Tel Myra to glory. Craving more power, Canev aided him in his goals, and together, they developed a ritual to obtain godhood. Xanuvir believed he would draw on the raw power of the Plane of Positive Energy to ascend to divinity, but Canev had decided to siphon energy from another source. He secretly infused the ritual with magic connecting Xanuvir to Ioun, the goddess of knowledge. Canev would telepathically link with Xanuvir, allowing him to absorb a portion of her essence and knowledge without risking the unbridled essence of her divine power. The ritual commenced, and the Astral Sea echoed with Ioun’s cries of pain as her divinity was temporarily sundered. Xanuvir’s body was nearly instantly destroyed by the influx of magic, and Ioun quickly reformed in a far-weakened state. But while Xanuvir was obliterated, Canev drew on Ioun’s power, using the elven mage as a conduit to safely tap into her divine essence. Canev renamed himself Vecna, and he used his immense might as a mage and newfound god to forge a new kingdom, the Dread Empire. He sought to conquer the world, overthrow the Raven Queen and Ioun, and make himself ruler of the dead and magic itself. While most of the flying cities of Tel Myra plunged to the ground, covering the lands below in rubble, flame, and surges of raw arcane energy, Vecna kept many of the elven strongholds aloft and declared his dominion over their people. He forced noble houses and peasants alike to swear loyalty, and he brutally murdered and reanimated those who would not. Many other mages supported Vecna, as he had built a cabal of loyal followers for years. These mages enabled Vecna to establish an iron-fisted, globe-spanning empire within months. Traveling to Arthan, he united the warring tribes of humanoids under his reign, empowering leaders of the tribes with arcane secrets of powerful rune and sin magic. Using this magic, they enslaved countless other humanoids, giants, and even dragons, building an empire of unparalleled glory. The empire lasted for millennia under Vecna’s reign, subjugating the nearby elves of the Vethorn Forest, and claiming many of the dwarven strongholds of the Thunderhand Republic. With his floating stronghold and mastery of planar magic, Vecna established outposts of his Dread Empire across the globe and on every plane of existence. Eventually, Vecna fell, temporarily destroyed by his once-loyal follower, the vampire death knight Kas the Bloody Handed. In his downfall, the archmages of Vecna maintained his empire for a time in his stead. Yet eventually, they too fell to bickering, transforming the once mighty empire into eight competing kingdoms of decadence and oppression. These kingdoms persisted for a time, but eventually, the Runelords triggered a series of cataclysms that sunk much of their kingdom in the sea and shattered their political power forever. About 5,000 years ago, the last of the Runelords vanished in a series of cataclysms known as the Night of the Falling Moon, when half of one of Carenthas’s three moons was pulled apart and rained destruction upon Arthan. Runelord Realms Shalast - Built along the soaring Klosar Mountains surrounding Lake Arthan, Shalast was the original capital of Vecna’s Dread Empire, and became the Realm of Greed upon his destruction. Eurythinia - Dominating the Vethorn Forest, Eurythinia was known as the Realm of Lust, and the Dread Empire drew many elven and fey slaves from the woods, selling them to wealthy extraplanar powers. Haruka - Built along the Katho Mountains and Gorizar Highlands, the Realm of Sloth used vast armies of slaves to work its mines. Edasseril - The Realm of Envy, Edasseril controlled trade along the coasts of the Taillands with an iron grip. Cyrusian - Controlling the vast northern plains of Arthan, the Realm of Pride flourished with wealth. Bakrakhan - Destroyed and sunken into the vast Stormstrike Bay, the Realm of Wrath was once the heart of the Dread Empire’s military. Gastash - Dominating what is now the Gorizar Highlands, the Realm of Gluttony was the fertile breadbasket of the Dread Empire Locations Astrazalian - A shining city and exemplar of eladrin independence along the northern coasts of the Vethorn, the city of Astrazalian faces eternal threat from fomorians and their hordes of evil fey. During spring and summer, Astrazalian appears on a beautiful green isle in the Material Plane, while during the fall and winter, it returns to a state of siege in the Feywild. Its white towers and winding streets are famous, and it’s one of the jewels of high elven culture. Arthan never conquered Astrazalian, allowing it to remain independent to combat the fomorian armies in the Feywild. Enellon - Enellon is a prosperous trading city. A vital stopping point for ships traveling northward to the Stormstrike Bay or southward to the Dragon Bay, Enellon’s markets are flush with exotic and mundane goods. The Kingsrun and Gildwater rivers converge west of Enellon, bringing trade and goods from Vendar, Arthan, and the Katho Mountains. Enellon is ruled by the Swordhands, a line of humans descended from Vendarian nobility. Eregiond - A powerful port city and kingdom in Arthan’s northern plains. The Gnashing Plains - Once a prosperous part of Arthan, this blasted plateau is now haunted by demons, giants, orcs, and harsh human tribes. The Katho Mountains - Once ruled by a united dwarven empire, the Katho Mountains are now governed by a squabbling republic. The Keima Vale - A beautiful, isolated region of magically-protected forest and Fey creatures. The Klosar Mountains - Soaring, snow-topped peaks filled with the ancient ruins of Vecna’s Dread Empire of Arthan. Lake Arthan - A titanic, man-made lake now ruled by a diabolical kraken. Mithrilfast - Built within a mountainous valley that contains the southernmost groves of the Vethorn Forest, Mithrilfast, known as the City of the Stone Singers, is a legendary site of eladrin art and architecture. The high elves, instead of chipping and scarring the earth like the dwarves, sung to the stone, shaping a beautiful city of smooth stone arches, soaring towers, and deep mines that flow with mithril. After the Sundering of the Seldarine, Mithrilfast was one of the few eladrin cities to remain anchored in the Material Plane, although portals to the Feywild are abundant in the city. When Arthan conquered much of the Vethorn, Mithrilfast remained independent, and its mithril-clad swordmages have protected the city for eons. Stormstrike Bay - Once part of the continent of, much of this region was sunk underwater during the destruction of Arthan. The Taillands - A region of forest, mountains, and powerful and cruel barbarian kings. Tremil - A powerful city-state of merchants and mercenaries. Torgovsky - Built within the vast Bolotynov Swamp, the Republic of Torgovsky is a prosperous trading nation. Its trading guilds, mostly ruled by halfling and human families, effectively rule the territory, requiring high taxes but maintaining relative peace and prosperity. The city of Torgovsky sits along the Vosta River, dominating trade in furs and alchemical components. The Vethorn Forest - An ancient, dense forest conquered and brutally exploited by both Arthan and Vendar in the past. Now ruled by isolated, often xenophobic elven tribes. Zhestok - A soaring mountain kingdom dedicated to Kossuth, the mysterious god of fire.